Speaker 1: It's in the news today, but it was actually on
Speaker 1: TV Reload the podcast last week. They Hey guys, welcome
Speaker 1: back to TV Reload. I want to thank you for
Speaker 1: clicking and downloading on today's episode with Imagen, one of
Speaker 1: the first eliminated singers from Australian Idol on Channel seven.
Speaker 1: Twenty one years after Guy Sebastian pipped Shannonault become Australia's
Speaker 1: first Idol, the International Starmaking reality TV Sensation has returned
Speaker 1: to Channel seven and seven plus. And if you aren't
Speaker 1: watching this series, then you're missing out because there is
Speaker 1: some sensational talent a part of the Top twelve. Scott
Speaker 1: Tweety did tell me that this was going to be
Speaker 1: the toughest season of Australian Idol yet and with the
Speaker 1: Top twelve losing two of the most talked about contestants
Speaker 1: this year, I am getting the privilege of sitting down
Speaker 1: with Imagen to get all the goss. We will unpack
Speaker 1: why this season features the bottom two singing when the
Speaker 1: votes have already been counted. Imagen will talk about her
Speaker 1: friendship with fellow eliminated contestant Ripley and what they were
Speaker 1: like backstage after their elimination. I will also ask about
Speaker 1: Kyle Sandalance and what Imagen thinks of his judging style,
Speaker 1: plus who Imagen thinks will win the competition, and which
Speaker 1: Taylor Swift song was knocked back by producers. There's actually
Speaker 1: so much to one pack with image in today, and
Speaker 1: she is really generous with her time to sit back
Speaker 1: and relax as we dive just that little bit deeper
Speaker 1: into the world of Australian idol. I feel like starting
Speaker 1: this off by saying, can you just sing some songs
Speaker 1: for me?
Speaker 2: Ah, Babs babe. Yeah, you know, That's what I've been
Speaker 2: doing on.
Speaker 1: The show, so absolutely. You know, I'm excited to talk
Speaker 1: to you because I mean, I think not only do
Speaker 1: I think you are a phenomenal artist, but I kind
Speaker 1: of feel like I would get along with you very well.
Speaker 1: I want to drink with you.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, I mean, I'd like to say we'd have
Speaker 3: fun going out in town.
Speaker 1: My sister texted me this morning as Edward yeah o'clock
Speaker 1: and said to me, I've got to explain some six
Speaker 1: degrees of separation that's going on here.
Speaker 3: I literally, well, I called mass the last night and
Speaker 3: that's how we piece this whole thing together, but go
Speaker 3: for it.
Speaker 1: I was going to say that version of Celene Dion
Speaker 1: would have been really hard under any circumstances. Is it
Speaker 1: much harder when you've got to sing in a save
Speaker 1: me situation?
Speaker 3: Well, I don't know, because it really wasn't like a
Speaker 3: save me situation because.
Speaker 2: The votes would have already been decided.
Speaker 3: So like, I feel like, as soon as those doors opened,
Speaker 3: I was like, look, there's nothing I can do, so
Speaker 3: I've just got to like have a really good time
Speaker 3: and put on a really good performance and just kind of,
Speaker 3: I don't know, it was sort of like a relief
Speaker 3: came over me, I feel like, which I think showed
Speaker 3: in the performance because it came across as really strong.
Speaker 1: Why are they making you do that when it's not
Speaker 1: going to help the situation?
Speaker 2: You know, I don't know. I don't know TV antics.
Speaker 3: I guess I guess they want to give us like
Speaker 3: one big send off in the end, so that like
Speaker 3: it's sort of like, you know, Australia, this is the
Speaker 3: people you've decided are in the bottom and it's on you.
Speaker 1: So we get like a little concert for those four
Speaker 1: people that are down in the bottom. But at the
Speaker 1: same time. You know, I think a lot of people
Speaker 1: were like, I think we just want to see the
Speaker 1: person that leaves do their final song or need to
Speaker 1: be a save me situation. So look, there's a lot
Speaker 1: of conversations that seem to be happening today from behind
Speaker 1: the scenes.
Speaker 3: You know, it was kind of crazy, like seeing literally
Speaker 3: like the floods of reaction on social media of people
Speaker 3: just being like, what is going on?
Speaker 2: Like me and Ripley in the bottom.
Speaker 3: I think no one really expected, like even across production,
Speaker 3: everyone was shocked.
Speaker 1: Well, you're the two most popular people in my mind,
Speaker 1: but I think that's what happened.
Speaker 3: People think you're safe if they're like someone will vote
Speaker 3: for them, But like, you're trying to vote for the
Speaker 3: people that you're worried are going to get out.
Speaker 2: You're not trying to vote for the people that you
Speaker 2: think are going to go through.
Speaker 1: You know that both of you have, you know, scared
Speaker 1: the bejeezus out of the voters now, So I think
Speaker 1: people need to pick up their phones and start voting.
Speaker 1: Sometimes I think Marsha's a little over the top with
Speaker 1: her antics when she's trying to explain that to the audience,
Speaker 1: But I'm now that person. I'm like people like you're
Speaker 1: going to lose your favorite artists.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 3: Literally, it's like and it really comes down to like
Speaker 3: a handful of votes at like every time. Like even
Speaker 3: Ivana and TJ being at the bottom was kind of crazy.
Speaker 3: Like it was USh shocking night for sure for everyone.
Speaker 1: I'm in great television for I mean, the producer rubbing
Speaker 1: their hands together and you know, it was exciting. I mean,
Speaker 1: I have to say that I haven't screamed at my
Speaker 1: TV in a long time. I think when TV got
Speaker 1: up and run Away thinks it's in trouble with me.
Speaker 1: How do you see yourself as an artist moving forward?
Speaker 1: Because I got up this morning and did a deep
Speaker 1: dive on your Instagram, and you know, I was so
Speaker 1: impressed with your back catalog and sort of your journey
Speaker 1: as an artist. Just listening to some of the music
Speaker 1: you make at home and seeing some of the productions
Speaker 1: that you've been a part of. You know, the question
Speaker 1: that came to mind for me was who are you
Speaker 1: as an artist? That to me is the question at
Speaker 1: this point and everyone's question.
Speaker 3: I think we got on the show to kind of
Speaker 3: establish ourselves. I went to university for electronic music production.
Speaker 3: So I'm a producer as well, and I make a
Speaker 3: lot of my own tracks, and I'm a songwriter. I
Speaker 3: do a lot of like R and B pop stuff,
Speaker 3: which is really exciting. It's kind of strange, Like I
Speaker 3: think the show took me on sort of the big
Speaker 3: valid journey because it's that's obviously makes really good TV
Speaker 3: and it's a really od this way of showing someone
Speaker 3: like showing their abilities, if that makes sense. And the
Speaker 3: stuff I make, obviously I still scream and yell and
Speaker 3: wail in my music.
Speaker 1: I said one of your songs this morning at Chapel
Speaker 1: Off Chapel and I was playing it through the music
Speaker 1: that's in my studio here this morning and it sounded amazing.
Speaker 1: So anyone that's listening to this, you know, if you're
Speaker 1: feeling really sad about image and leaving the competition, get
Speaker 1: onto the Instagram, start listening to some of those tracks.
Speaker 1: They're amazing.
Speaker 3: Yeah, get on my Instagram. Jimmy spenlove Undercore. I've got
Speaker 3: a catalog. I've got a long line of songs for
Speaker 3: you guys to enjoy.
Speaker 1: So what I thought might have happened, And by the way,
Speaker 1: I'll ask you about Taylor Swift because I saw that
Speaker 1: you went to the concert. But yeah, I wondered whether
Speaker 1: or not a good Tailor Swift song might have been
Speaker 1: appropriate at this point. You know, with all of the
Speaker 1: Tailor Swift hype, there's song choices that you were suggesting
Speaker 1: that suited you a little bit better, or that you
Speaker 1: wanted to do that we didn't get a chance to see.
Speaker 3: Oh, you know, there was like it's tricky with TV
Speaker 3: because there's a lot of like red taping into crass
Speaker 3: and getting songs approved and finding the copyright for everything.
Speaker 3: I know some people like Party Week. Some of the
Speaker 3: reactions was like I don't understand these song choices, and
Speaker 3: it's literally like whatever we can get over the line
Speaker 3: is what we end up having.
Speaker 2: To work with.
Speaker 1: But it makes a lot of more sense. It's like
Speaker 1: when you go to a karaoke bar and it's the
Speaker 1: one of those Vietnamese ones and they don't have all
Speaker 1: the song choices and you've been dreaming about, you know,
Speaker 1: pumping out your karaoke song and it's not there.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 3: Literally, like, there are a few tracks that I desperately
Speaker 3: wanted to do in the show. Oh, we really wanted
Speaker 3: to do like Olivia Rodrigo Vampire at one point, which
Speaker 3: would have been so sick. There's like a couple like
Speaker 3: more kooky ones. We wanted to do some like more
Speaker 3: covers of like male led songs and changing them up
Speaker 3: a bit. There is a bunch of tracks that I
Speaker 3: would be like, and even Tailor Swift. I'd put forward
Speaker 3: like a million Tailorswift songs and they'd be like, we can't.
Speaker 1: Yeah, what would have been the Taylor's Swift song. I mean,
Speaker 1: I'm in a Swifty fever right now, So forgive me
Speaker 1: for hammering this particular point. But kind of like you
Speaker 1: know what your fantasy you know those Fantasy League things
Speaker 1: that people have, you know, yeah, Fantasy League songs for
Speaker 1: image and yeah right, so.
Speaker 2: Okay, here's my thing.
Speaker 3: So my one of my favorite talors of songs of
Speaker 3: all time, which would not have worked for the show
Speaker 3: is Last Great American Dynasty.
Speaker 2: But I'm just putting it on the table. I love
Speaker 2: that song so much, but I reckon for the trajectory
Speaker 2: of the show.
Speaker 3: I reckon, don't blame me, would have been a big hit,
Speaker 3: you know, like something a bit darker. They sort of
Speaker 3: on the show. They wanted me to kind of fill
Speaker 3: a niche that was a bit more girl.
Speaker 2: Next doory, which like I was.
Speaker 3: Completely happy to do, but like it gets a little
Speaker 3: tired to kind of continuously be sort of just like
Speaker 3: pious and standing there and you know, being very happy
Speaker 3: about everything. Some I always wanted to go like something
Speaker 3: a bit darker, something a bit more interesting for me
Speaker 3: to sink my teeth into. But like those kinds of
Speaker 3: things don't always translate really well on TV, and you
Speaker 3: don't want to do like such a hard switch that
Speaker 3: your audience is going like, ah, what's going on?
Speaker 2: This is not what I'm used to, you know.
Speaker 3: So like I totally get the songs they picked for
Speaker 3: me for the trajectory. I mean the last one this
Speaker 3: moment on got me like Shania Twain's recognition, So I
Speaker 3: was like fucking tickbox there.
Speaker 2: Hello, like life moments.
Speaker 3: You know, it's not even March and Shania Twain has
Speaker 3: noticed me this year.
Speaker 1: You know, twenty twenty four is going pretty well so far. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I often say to people as well, you don't want
Speaker 1: to win these things either, because then you're just slapped
Speaker 1: with being the winner of that show. And Australia's tall
Speaker 1: poppy syndrome might mean that we don't ever want to
Speaker 1: see you again, do you know what I mean? That
Speaker 1: seems to be a trend that happens in Australia where
Speaker 1: you really got a chance to get a taste of
Speaker 1: something quite mainstream and get to understand television a little
Speaker 1: bit better. And I'm sure you're thinking, at the moment,
Speaker 1: television is nowhere near as glamorous is what you'd originally
Speaker 1: thought it was, do you know what I mean? Like
Speaker 1: people were watching it at home, They're always like, oh God,
Speaker 1: that looks so amazing. The photos are being taken and
Speaker 1: I get the outfits and all the rest of it,
Speaker 1: but behind the scenes it's very unnglamorous.
Speaker 2: I think, oh completely, it's all smoke and mirrors.
Speaker 3: Everyone's just like the amount of times I feel like
Speaker 3: I've gotten like half naked backstage trying to put like
Speaker 3: pull a driyce on or pull costumes on, and everyone's
Speaker 3: like touching you and like doing your hair, are you
Speaker 3: make up?
Speaker 2: Or pullink spanks onto your body?
Speaker 3: Like there's so many things you don't see or probably
Speaker 3: probably for the best. There's a going joke in the
Speaker 3: last show where wardrobe was like the first person who
Speaker 3: can get changed to the fastest gets a prized like
Speaker 3: like all that.
Speaker 2: Kind of stuff that's happening backstage.
Speaker 3: What's interesting to me is like a lot of the
Speaker 3: backlash for the show is talking about how like pre
Speaker 3: planned everything is. When you're going through it, it really
Speaker 3: doesn't feel like that. It feels like things are moving
Speaker 3: and changing all of the time. The trajectory of people's
Speaker 3: stories are changing and moving, Like the Shania Twain thing.
Speaker 3: For me was not a planned event at all, Like
Speaker 3: no one expected that to happen, and we sort of
Speaker 3: had to adapt as it happened.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's it's weird.
Speaker 3: I think people think TV is such like a finished, beautiful,
Speaker 3: perfect package, and when it gets to you, it is,
Speaker 3: but there are so many little nitty gritty details that
Speaker 3: have to happen before it.
Speaker 1: Guys say that to people, you know, I think this
Speaker 1: is a really good sort of a taste of all
Speaker 1: of this for you, And I think that this experience
Speaker 1: would have been great because you've got some amazing judges.
Speaker 1: Like last year is a little bit dubious about the
Speaker 1: way in which it came together. It felt a little contrived.
Speaker 1: I sometimes don't like American judges or overseas judges judging
Speaker 1: out Australian talent where I felt like this lineup, they
Speaker 1: genuinely care and they're actually handing over valid information. I mean,
Speaker 1: Kyle's outrageous, but that's exactly what people are going to
Speaker 1: say when you get out of you know, when you're autist.
Speaker 3: Anyway, that's the thing me and Ripley were talking about
Speaker 3: it today. We were just like, if you know Kyle,
Speaker 3: he'll say things, but he's usually right. He's just blunt
Speaker 3: about it very much like this is my opinion, take
Speaker 3: it or leave it. But also it's like you're on
Speaker 3: a talent show, he's a judge, you should probably take
Speaker 3: the advice, you know.
Speaker 1: Being paid hundreds of millions of dollars for no reason. Yeah,
Speaker 1: man has a gift, like you know.
Speaker 2: An industry pro. You know, take whatever you can get,
Speaker 2: even if he's even if he's being.
Speaker 3: Harsh, like my last performance, he was pretty harsh with me,
Speaker 3: but I like, I get it. It was like when
Speaker 3: I finished that, I remember being like, oh that was messy,
Speaker 3: and that was the first thing he picked up on
Speaker 3: in not so many words.
Speaker 1: I guess, did they give you any advice? Though, like
Speaker 1: as in, when the show finished, did you get any
Speaker 1: advice Once the lights go off and you know you've
Speaker 1: been eliminated from this show, did you get any moments
Speaker 1: with these three? And what was Can you share any
Speaker 1: of that with me?
Speaker 3: We sort of were like very much pulled off to
Speaker 3: the side, but we got to have a chat with
Speaker 3: Ricky Lee, which was really lovely and.
Speaker 1: She gets it more than anyone.
Speaker 2: She gets yeah completely.
Speaker 3: She like pulled me and Rip aside and was just
Speaker 3: like that was insane for started. She was like, I'm shocked.
Speaker 3: Everyone's shocked. No one was expecting this. And she just
Speaker 3: was like you have to now like use it, say
Speaker 3: yes to everything, take everything that you can, every opportunity
Speaker 3: that comes your way, Like.
Speaker 2: This is the point now where like I feel like
Speaker 2: going through the show is so much work.
Speaker 3: It's a lot of early mornings, it's a lot of
Speaker 3: long days, like twelve Like some people don't realize we're
Speaker 3: on set for like twelve to seventeen hours sometimes like
Speaker 3: long days.
Speaker 2: And she was just sort of like, you know, this
Speaker 2: is just the beginning. It's only going to get harder.
Speaker 3: Work, but it's going to be more rewarding, which was
Speaker 3: really lovely to hear from her.
Speaker 2: It was great.
Speaker 1: You know. What's also quite amazing is that you've bumped
Speaker 1: out of the competition at the same time as someone
Speaker 1: else who is also so well regarded. But if you
Speaker 1: look at the company that you're keeping with, yeah, you know,
Speaker 1: that sort of shows you how tough this competition is,
Speaker 1: you know what I mean. It's like that old saying,
Speaker 1: you know, if I'm going to get if I'm going
Speaker 1: to get beaten, I get beaten by the best kind
Speaker 1: of thing, you know.
Speaker 3: Completely, and everyone is just like they're so different and
Speaker 3: really really good at what they do. Like that's literally it.
Speaker 3: It's a really difficult competition. And the tricky part now
Speaker 3: is it is literally up to public boat. Like there
Speaker 3: isn't as much control as like the show has, so
Speaker 3: it is really up in the air at all times.
Speaker 2: But when I sort of, you know, I got.
Speaker 3: Eliminated and I'm like waiting in a corridor chatting to people, and.
Speaker 2: I hear like Ripley in a separate room going.
Speaker 3: Immagen hap here, you know, and we just like had
Speaker 3: a bit of a cuddle and a bit of a
Speaker 3: cry and it was like, I don't know, it was
Speaker 3: weirdly validating because he is so impressive and so good.
Speaker 3: It's kind of nice to go out together, you know,
Speaker 3: as a team.
Speaker 1: Well, I think the take home at the moment this
Speaker 1: morning for across the fan base is that, you know,
Speaker 1: the results on shows like this, like these singing competitions.
Speaker 1: You know, it's taken us a long time to get
Speaker 1: back to watching live and giving people such a short
Speaker 1: time frame voting. And then when you look at the
Speaker 1: fact that there's a lot of people watching a majority
Speaker 1: of freeedoware television catch up, they're not voting. So yeah,
Speaker 1: there's a few explanations that are quite broad when it
Speaker 1: comes to the way on which these results shows are
Speaker 1: being dictated. Because the sort of person that's going to
Speaker 1: be home that's going to vote, you know, there's a
Speaker 1: lot more things in line than when we saw a
Speaker 1: Strain and Idol when it was first on television.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and the audience is like, is very different as well.
Speaker 3: It's one of those things I remember when it was
Speaker 3: me and TJ, Like I just had a feeling that
Speaker 3: it was going to be me.
Speaker 2: I don't know what it is.
Speaker 3: I like everyone I've talked to, because I've been chatting
Speaker 3: to people who've been eliminated from the show.
Speaker 2: They all say the same thing. It's like you just know.
Speaker 2: It just comes over you and you're like, yeah.
Speaker 1: It's me, this is the end.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: I will tell you from doing reality TV that every
Speaker 1: every week I thought I was I thought I'd been
Speaker 1: told I was going home. So I do feel like
Speaker 1: it's interesting when you hear other Reality TV contestants and
Speaker 1: similar our environments go, oh, I knew it was me,
Speaker 1: But I can tell you that I always thought it
Speaker 1: was me every single week, you know what I mean? Yeah,
Speaker 1: and I was wrong. And I also won't live as
Speaker 1: long because it actually wasn't good for my central nervous
Speaker 1: system either.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, I actually think I'm going to pass out.
Speaker 2: I want to get back to my earn.
Speaker 3: I'll need like at least a week and a half
Speaker 3: to reset my nervous system. Oh, you're just like in
Speaker 3: a slightly heightened state of survival.
Speaker 2: Mode all the time.
Speaker 3: It's really crazy, and you don't realize it until you
Speaker 3: like get off set and you're like, oh.
Speaker 1: God, you know, I want to ask you who you
Speaker 1: think is going to win at this point.
Speaker 2: I don't know.
Speaker 1: I mean, like not best friend, competition because like, I'm
Speaker 1: sure you've got people in there that's relationship based, but nay,
Speaker 1: I've got a taste for the way the voting is happening.
Speaker 1: They've got a taste, and you've got a front row
Speaker 1: seat to all of this. I'd love to know your pick.
Speaker 1: You're getting a million dollars if you get this right.
Speaker 3: Look, I think me and Ripper on the same page.
Speaker 3: I think it's like Dylan is the strongest at the moment.
Speaker 3: I think he's got really good image going around. He's
Speaker 3: also a lovely guy, so lovely to work with, and
Speaker 3: an incredible vocalist. He has so many things going for
Speaker 3: him at the moment. I think he's probably my top pick.
Speaker 1: I think he's going to win. That's how I think
Speaker 1: as well. This is how I knew we were going
Speaker 1: to be friends, because I think the same Before you
Speaker 1: go once, something I ask everyone is what is something
Speaker 1: from behind the scenes, something that you know for people
Speaker 1: at home that are watching this show they wouldn't get
Speaker 1: a chance to see. Can you sort of peel back
Speaker 1: the layers of Australian idol and share something Well, I
Speaker 1: don't know.
Speaker 3: I literally I think you hit the nail on the
Speaker 3: head with it's not glamorous. It's really like like no
Speaker 3: one's really holding your hand through this whole process. It's
Speaker 3: you're getting poked and prodded the whole way through. You'll
Speaker 3: be about to go on stage and someone will grab
Speaker 3: you for like a little camera moment. You know, it's
Speaker 3: it's really happening in the moment. And I think my
Speaker 3: biggest takeaway is like now watching reality TV and you
Speaker 3: watch people who kind of act really outrageously, You're like,
Speaker 3: I completely understand how they would get to.
Speaker 2: That point because it's so stressed and you've.
Speaker 3: Been on like a thirteen hour shoot day and someone
Speaker 3: pulls you aside and it's like, how are you going?
Speaker 2: What's going on with that? Like you would just explode.
Speaker 3: So my thing, I think to Peel Beckelle is is
Speaker 3: literally like it's not polished everything. Everything is happening off
Speaker 3: camera that you don't want to see, and it's just
Speaker 3: that's just.
Speaker 2: The way it is.
Speaker 1: You know. Well, I'm in your audience. I just want
Speaker 1: to say that, you know, I kind of tell you
Speaker 1: how much I've listened to I have nothing of all
Speaker 1: of the songs, Like I thought you did so well
Speaker 1: and I can't wait to see what you do with this.
Speaker 1: There's so much work that goes into this, and feel
Speaker 1: free to contact people like Guy Sebastian, but also feel
Speaker 1: free to contact people like Courtney Act who didn't even
Speaker 1: make the top twelve is now an internationally recognized artist.
Speaker 1: To these shows, there's so many people, and they will
Speaker 1: tell you that the show was literally like an invitation,
Speaker 1: and then now it's up to you as to how
Speaker 1: you want to do that and think outside the box
Speaker 1: because there's people out there that really want to hear you.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 3: I think that's been the most incredible thing about this
Speaker 3: is like the support. It's like really validating. Whenever you
Speaker 3: step on one of these shows, you really put yourself
Speaker 3: out there, and like, I've been lucky enough that people
Speaker 3: like what I had to offer, and that's literally enough
Speaker 3: for me.
Speaker 1: I feel like I'm going to see you in musicals.
Speaker 1: I feel like I'm going to see you in like
Speaker 1: rock musicals. I feel like there's so much more that
Speaker 1: you know. I'm looking looking forward to sitting there in
Speaker 1: that row and looking at your name in one of
Speaker 1: these books. You know so, and I think that's happening.
Speaker 2: Thank you. I'm keen for it, Bring it on,